MURPHY BRIDGE OPENING

We are excited to announce that today marks the completion of the Murphy Corridor Improvements Project and the opening of the railroad overcrossing!

The Murphy Corridor includes a series of transportation improvements in southeast Bend and provides a vital east-west connection over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Other project highlights include a new three-lane roadway from Parrell Road to Brosterhous Road, three roundabouts, 3.5 miles of shared-use bike lanes and sidewalks, 47 streetlights, 275 new trees, and safe crossings to neighborhoods, Caldera High School, and the future Alpenglow Park.

Read more about the completion of the project.

WE MAKE BEND WORK

Many of you have questions about where your taxes are spent.

We at the City of Bend work alongside our partner agencies - the Bend Park and Recreation District, Bend-La Pine Schools, Deschutes County – who take the lead on things like parks and schools. About 21% of your property tax dollars go to the City of Bend. From improving our roads to keeping you safe to bringing in new jobs and affordable housing, everything we do is focused on helping Bend work as smoothly as possible while providing Bendites with the most value for their tax dollars.

You can learn more about the current budget at bendoregon.gov/budget.

WINTER SERVICES UPDATE

Before the first storm hits, we want you to know about the City’s process for plowing roads. During winter storms, our street maintenance crews prioritize the highest-use streets that accommodate the most drivers and access hospitals, major employment areas, schools and transit routes. Priority routes receive de-icing, sanding, and plowing first. Get plowing information and maps here.

During the occasional extreme storms, it may be necessary to stay focused on priority routes, which could mean postponing lower priority routes until the priority routes are safe and open to traffic. Lower-use streets—the local residential streets—are a lower priority. Alleys are not considered priorities.   

We maintain 863 lane miles with two daily work shifts. The City has 18 snow plow operators per shift and 24 pieces of equipment, from light-duty pickups to medium-duty dump trucks and heavy-duty two-motor graders with plows.  

The Streets and Operations Division Manager considers many factors – snow accumulation, moisture content, presence of sleet, freezing rain or hail, temperatures and forecasts – to determine what operations are needed for a specific storm, including whether to call in contractors to help. Contractors are typically called to help plow local residential streets during the occasional extreme storm events.  

Streets crews will support and collaborate with Police and Fire to provide access for emergency services.

Inside Bend: Snow, Ice and Streets

We also spoke to Transportation and Mobility Department Director David Abbas for this month’s episode of Inside Bend and asked him to talk about how winter road crews prioritize their work. He also explains what it takes to get crews ready for those snowy days! 

You can listen to Inside Bend at bendoregon.gov/inside-bend or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify!

TRANSPORTATION

Empire Corridor Improvements Complete

The Empire Corridor Improvements projects have long been a priority transportation system improvement for the City of Bend. The recent opening of the Butler Market Road and Purcell Boulevard roundabout, and improvements to Purcell Boulevard south of the canal, marks the completion of this multi-year project. The project provided an important extension to Empire Avenue, delivered three new roundabouts, increases capacity of the vehicle network, and improves safety and connectivity through added sidewalks, shared use paths, and wider bike lanes.

Lean more about the project by viewing this infographic.

Neighborhood Street Safety Projects Milestone

This year, the Neighborhood Street Safety Program (NSSP), which was first created and funded by the City Council in 2019, completed its first edition of improvements. This program included soliciting proposals for street safety projects from community members that eventually totaled more than 360 locations! With the help of Bend’s 13 Neighborhood Associations and the Neighborhood Leadership Alliance (NLA), eight locations were selected, aiming for geographic equity and to fit within the $800,000 funding available. Thanks to the passage of the transportation GO Bond in November 2020, the program now has $8 million to continue in years ahead. Learn more about these projects at bendoregon.gov/streetsafety.

HOUSELESSNESS UPDATE

Because of the broad community interest in housing and houselessness, City Councilors have added a new standing agenda item to Council business meetings to provide regular updates on City Council’s work on addressing houselessness, and to engage with some of the questions and concerns Councilors are hearing. City Council meetings are held the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Agendas and livestreaming can be accessed at bendoregon.gov/councilagenda. The update from 11/17/21 by Councilor Megan Perkins can be found here.

Temporary Outdoor Shelters
(Managed Camps) Update

The City has issued a request for proposals from pre-qualified community organizations that could operate temporary outdoor shelters (also referred to as “managed camps”) which are intended to provide safe places for people to reside and services to assist houseless members of our community as they transition to permanent housing. Requirements on prospective outdoor shelter operators include outreach with surrounding neighborhoods, management plans for the safety of clients and neighborhoods, restrooms, showers, food, storage, trash removal, case management and more.

More information is available in this press release from earlier this month.

Community Assistance Grant Program

The City is launching a new Community Assistance Grant Program to help qualifying nonprofit organizations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will assist nonprofits that provide services to individual members of the community who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those individuals who were disproportionally impacted. The Program will initially be funded with $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Community members disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 include racial and ethnic minorities, low-income households and socially vulnerable communities.

Grants will be available up to $50,000 per grantee. Program information and applications can be found at bendoregon.gov/community-assistance.

STEVENS ROAD TRACT

The City is beginning work toward the development of 261 acres of land on Bend’s east side. This project, in response to House Bill 3318 recently passed by the Oregon Legislature, allows for the addition of 261 acres to Bend’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and the development of a “complete community” including various housing types, mixed use buildings, parks and employment areas.

The City has launched an informational project website where people can sign up for updates and notices of upcoming opportunities to participate in this planning effort. The first opportunity for the public to provide feedback will be an on-line kickoff in late November.

Learn more about this project.

CORE AREA ADVISORY BOARD OPENINGS

Do you want to help with developing the Bend Core Area?

The City of Bend is accepting applications for a new Core Area Advisory Board. Applications can be submitted online until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1.

Core Area Advisory Board members are volunteers, appointed by the Bend Urban Renewal Agency, to make recommendations on the implementation of the Core Area Tax Increment Finance Plan. The Plan identifies a variety of projects and a funding source (tax increment financing) to invest in the area over the next 30 years as it transforms into an urban, mixed-use area where people can live, work, and play. See the map of the Core Area.  

For more information about the Core Area Advisory Board, visit bendoregon.gov/caab.

HOLIDAY COOKING:
KEEP YOUR PIPES FLOWING

Keep your pipes flowing this holiday season by putting cooled cooking fat and food scraps into the garbage instead of down the drain. 

• Scrape food from dishes into the garbage.
•  Limit the use of garbage disposals.
• Wipe cooled grease and fats from pots and pans with paper towels before they go into the sink. 

If your pipes get blocked, it can cause costly back-ups into your home or business. Yuck! 

Have a clog-free year! 

Learn more at bendoregon.gov/fog.

BEND FIRE & RESCUE SANTA EXPRESS

After a year off, Santa and the Bend Fire & Rescue Santa Express are back spreading holiday cheer! Bend Fire & Rescue crews will be driving through several neighborhoods again this year with Santa collecting food, clothing and toys to support the Salvation Army.  

To learn more about where you can donate, or to find out when Bend Fire and Rescue will be driving through your neighborhood head to: bendoregon.gov/santaexpress.

STAY INFORMED!

You can stay informed on City Council, get updates on City projects, and learn about events. Sign up to receive news delivered right to your inbox at bendoregon.gov/enews.